PLANS have been unveiled for a retail redevelopment on a former college site in Peterlee.

Quora Developments in conjunction with Cerda Planning is proposing to build five units on the old East Durham and Houghall College site.

The college vacated the site in 2009 and Tesco subsequently gained planning permission for a superstore in 2011.

Tesco’s plans for the site, which had stood empty since the college moved to a new campus off Willerby Grove in 2009, had been expected to create 400 new jobs.

But the Peterlee scheme was one of 40 Tesco dropped following a dip in the company’s performance and the site became the subject of anti-social behaviour.

The buildings were demolished earlier this year and Quora, has now stepped in to redevelop the prime site.

The firm says it has has secured tenants for four of the proposed units, including Lidl, Home Bargains, KFC and Starbucks.

The overall retail offer would be for about 2,339 sq m comparison (non-food) floor space and 2,377 sq m convenience (food) floor space.

Access to the site will be from Essington Way. There will also be remediation works to the existing subways under Burnhope Way and Essington Way.

Quora director Jason Davis said: “At Quora we have redeveloped numerous brownfield sites to deliver high quality retail and leisure schemes across the country.

“We are excited at the opportunity to work with Durham County Council and the local community to deliver major investment for the people of Peterlee on a site that has sat waiting for redevelopment for a long time.

“The proposal will provide huge benefits to the local community including improvements to the public realm, enhanced car parking for the town centre, increased retail offer in the town centre and a huge amount of new jobs for local people.”

He added, the proposal would also maintain the presence in the town of a Lidl store, whose existing lease is due to end in the next two years and the format of the store does not meet the current business requirements.

The new retail park would be served by 227 customer parking bays including 15 disabled car parking bays, eight parent and child bays and four electric car charging bays. Additionally, there would be 10 staff parking bays and three waiting bays.

  • The developers will launch a pre-submission consultation event on Friday when members of the public invited to find out further details about the scheme and provide feedback by completing a short survey at www.peterleeretailpark.co.uk.

​Here are some of your views on the proposals:

Neil Wright: "Pathetic plans, there’s a Lidl 200 yards further down, already have a home bargains, a coffee shop?? We have Costa in a prime location, KFC would be nice as would a Burger King! Why not a small bowling alley or a cinema? More poor shops extended from a poorly ran town centre."

Elizabeth Wilson: "Pleased that the sight is going to be built on but you are robbing the town of another shop and Lidl's shop will just stand empty the same as the empty unit that has not been used in the last 15 years."

Name Supplied: "The development should be withdrawn. Food outlets will invite trouble to the surrounding estates. Increased traffic to an overstretched road, wagons,deliveries noise pollution. Lidl closing means an empty unit to be vandalised and will just move the eyesore."

Name Supplied: "Don't need more fast food outlets more unhealthy eating more rubbish dumped by litter louts."

Name Supplied: "Absolutely brilliant.Lets get it up and running."

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